Decisions, Decisions, Decisions

“The secret of health for both mind and body is
not to mourn for the past,
worry about the future, or anticipate troubles,
but to live in the present moment,
wisely and earnestly.”
(Buddha)

Live for the moment. It sounds reckless doesn’t it? If we think about this proposition a little more though, life is really a continuum of moments, a series of decisions that we make, most of them seemingly insignificant, but in the course of our personal history, the collective decisions we make lead us to our destiny. Why should we live for the moment?

Many years ago, there was a popular song written by Bobby McFerrin, called “Don’t Worry, Be Happy”. The very simple lyrics struck a chord with many people. We are not able to change the past, so let it go. We are not able to predict or know with certainty the future, so there’s no point stressing too much about that either. Yes we can make plans for the future, but remember that events can often conspire against our best laid plans. So maybe there is something to McFerrin’s lyrics, ‘don’t worry, be happy’.

In Andy Andrews’ book, The Butterfly Effect, based on the theory of Edward Lorenz, he explains how one decision, one small act or one change can have a ripple effect elsewhere. When the disaster of 9/11 struck the World Trade Centre, some people, who would normally be at work there, had made a decision a week ago, or the day before, or even on the day to do something that meant they were not on the upper floors of the World Trade Centre when the planes struck.

One man decided that he would take his daughter to her first day of school and another, Larry Silverstein, had made a doctor’s appointment, which his wife insisted that morning that he should keep rather than rescheduling. Chef Michael Lomonaco decided to drop in at the optometrist in the lobby of the World Trade Centre to see if he could change his appointment time, instead of travelling up the lift to the 106th floor to his restaurant, where he would normally be preparing for the day ahead. All of these people were spared almost certain death by the decisions they had made the week before or because of spur of the moment decisions made that day.

Not all decisions take on such significance though. According to a survey by Columbia University decision researcher, Sheena Iyengar, the average person makes approximately 70 conscious decisions every day. That’s a lot of decision making happening in our lives. Multiply 70 decisions by 365 days and that means, on average, we are making around 25,550 every year! It’s no wonder that these decisions collectively determine our destiny and the destiny of other people in our lives.

What influences our decisions is quite interesting too. Arnaldo Oliveira, an expert in decision making process, argues that the essence of decision making integrates both the beliefs about specific events and peo¬ple’s subjective reactions to those events. He identifies three factors influencing our decision making. Firstly there may be more than one possible course of action possible for us to consider. Secondly, decision makers form expectations concerning future events based on degrees of confidence and probabilities for the future. Thirdly, we consider the consequences associated with possible outcomes, which reflects our own personal values and current goals.

Author, John Hunt has an interesting theory about people, which may influence how they make decisions and what decision they make. He writes about people either being a ‘sunset’ person or a ‘sunrise’ person and he believes that everyone falls into one of these two categories. Hunt explains:

“A ‘sunriser’ gives out energy; a ‘sunsetter’ sucks it away.
A ‘sunriser’ goes through life open to the idea that the best may still be coming. A ‘sunset’ person is heavy in the knowledge that the best is past. For him or her, the future is in a calibrated decline.”

In essence, beliefs influence our actions and often can result in a self-fulfilling prophecy where our decisions influence eventual outcomes. In other words, what you believe will come true because you will subconsciously and consciously act in ways that cause the event to happen. Self-fulfilling prophecies are powerful, and real.

A simple decision about whether to let your child learn a musical instrument, or learn to sing or dance or paint can significantly influence the course of their life. A young child who struggles to learn, to speak or write, may benefit greatly by learning to play a musical instrument or play chess or to learn to draw or to play a particular sport. Not only does it open a whole new world of opportunities for your child, but it may very well be the one thing, in which they excel and experience success in their life. We never know where such a decision will lead.

There’s no escaping it, the more opportunities we give our child at the youngest possible age, the more likely they are to excel, not just at school but in life in general. A small decision can have an untold impact on the future. We never know where the decisions of today will lead; ultimately, it may very well depend on our beliefs and expectations and (maybe) on whether we are a ‘sunsetter’ or ‘sunriser’. I will let Theodore Roosevelt have the last word on decision making:

“In any moment of decision
the best thing you can do
Is the right thing, the
next best thing is the
wrong thing, and
the worst thing
you can do is
nothing.”

Karon Graham

Teachers Create the Future

A teacher affects eternity;
he or she can never tell
where his or her influence stops. ~
(Henry Brooks Adams)

There is a saying, that every good teacher is a student of students. Understanding young people (as many a parent will testify) is not an easy or straightforward task. Good teachers get to know their students very well indeed – they learn as much as they can about their students - their interests, passions, hobbies, their family, likes and dislikes and what they love to do, how they like to learn and what they like to learn. Good teachers make learning fun.

I read a funny quote the other day by Donald Quinn, who wrote that if a doctor, or lawyer, or dentist had thirty people in their office at one time, all of them asking questions, all of whom had different learning needs, and some of whom, didn't want to be there and were causing trouble, some of whom were questioning the advice given, and the doctor, lawyer, or dentist, without assistance, had to treat them all with professional excellence for nine months, then he or she might have some conception of the work, the stresses and life of the classroom teacher.

Apart from the humour, this anecdote is quite thought provoking. If we think about this idea a little more, teachers actually teach the people who will become all the other professions we know. Teachers around the world are now teaching, the future prime ministers, the future doctors, lawyers, dentists, politicians, CEOs, the future innovators, artists, musicians, scientists, builders, the future business leaders, architects, writers, researchers and the future humanitarians of the world. Our future and the future of humankind, actually lies in the very hands of our teachers today.

Teachers create the future by their very being a teacher. Most great ideas come from unexpected places and gifted teachers seize and opportunity to create the ‘teachable moment’ whatever the circumstances. Teaching young people to think creatively about problems, helps them later in life to be creative in their thinking, to look at the world differently, and see a solution or idea that has not occurred before that moment. As Albert Einstein, brilliant creative thinker and scientist once wrote:

It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken
joy in creative expression and knowledge.

A gifted teacher inspires all of their students, (not just the clever ones), by tapping into their natural curiosity, by engaging them in conversations around an interesting topic or theme. They make learning come to life in the minds and hearts of their students. A gifted teacher makes learning fun in many creative ways and ignites in his or her students a passion for learning, an interest in the world in which they live, of times gone by, and a thirst for learning that can be sustained their whole life through.

The educational journey, which we share with our students for a relatively short time in their lives, is a journey of discovery – a journey of self discovery, as much as the, ‘getting of wisdom’ and a discovery of the world we live in and our place in that world. No journey is without its twists and turns and ups and downs. Teachers can help students through these difficulties and move them forward to a better place. Gifted teachers show how adversity can become an opportunity. Gifted teachers show students how one’s mind is capable of great feats, complex thinking, wonderful accomplishments, creative problem solving and insightful and inspiring thoughts.

Teachers who inspire realize there will always be rocks in the road ahead of us. They will be stumbling blocks or stepping stones; it all depends on how we use them.
(Author unknown)

In appreciation of International Teacher’s Day celebrated on Friday, 26 October in Australia, students have put together a collage of thank you notes for their teachers. Here is just a small sample of some of the thank you messages from our students to their teachers at CCPS.


“I love all the teachers who teach me and I want to keep them forever! (Skye)

“I love how you always have fun and exciting lessons; you are a great teacher and I love having you teach me.”

“You are the best teacher because every day we have with you is fun.” (Celeste)

“ You are awesome; you teach us awesome stuff and I really, really like the Go Figure.” (Briana)

“”Thank you for helping me in class and for telling me, what’s right and what’s wrong.” (Lauren)

“I love how you teach me about things I didn’t know.”

“You’re the best teacher ever because you’re cheerful every day.” (Ruby)

“Thank you. I enjoy coming to school because you make it fun for me to learn.”


The dream begins with a teacher who believes in you, who tugs and pushes and leads you to the next plateau, sometimes poking you with a sharp stick called "truth." (Dan Rather, American anchorman CBS News)

Thank you to all the dedicated and caring teachers everywhere - you really do affect eternity!

Karon Graham

Ordinary People Achieve Extraordinary Things - Why aren't you?

“The greatest results in life are
usually attained by simple means and
the exercise of ordinary qualities.
These may be for the most part
summed up in these two:
commonsense and perseverance.”
(Owen Feltham, English writer)

If I was to ask you to name the five wealthiest people in the world, or to name three people who have won the Nobel or Archibald Prize, or to name the last five winners of the Brownlow Medal or the Dally M Medal or the last five winners of Best Actor in the Academy Awards, would you struggle? How did you go? Many of us would have trouble answering one of these, let alone all of these questions. (Okay, there may be a trivia savant out there, who scored 100%, but it’s not me and it’s probably not you.)

Even though it’s interesting or important to us at the time, as life moves on, we care little, and remember less of the past successes of these great people. Their successes eventually fade into oblivion, the applause evaporates into the ether and their achievements and awards are often forgotten altogether.

If on the other hand I was to ask you to name three teachers who helped you through school, or three friends who have stood by you through a difficult time, or five people who have taught you something worthwhile, or to name five people who have made you feel special and appreciated, or five people you enjoy spending time with, then the challenge is much easier, isn’t it?

As Charles Schulz, creator of the “Peanuts” comic strip (one of my favourites) muses: the lesson here is that the people who make a real difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards; they are the ones who care about you. They are ordinary people, who have affected your life in an extraordinary way.

Perseverance, persistence, and patience are qualities that ultimately can affect our destiny. Perhaps one of the greatest examples of a life built on these three qualities is that of the great American President, Abraham Lincoln. If ever there was a lesson in not giving up, it is the story of Abraham Lincoln. His perseverance, his persistence and patience is both inspirational and legendary.

Lincoln was born into poverty, was beset by personal tragedy, (when his fiancée died), suffered a nervous breakdown, experienced multiple business failures and bankruptcy, and lost eight elections before rising to the highest possible office in the country as the President of the United States in 1860. Lincoln never gave up; he persisted when many others would have given up in the face of such heartbreaking obstacles.

Yes, most of us, who consider ourselves to be, just ordinary people, can achieve extraordinary things if we have a mind to, and if the circumstances unfold in a way, to allow us to seize the opportunity in front of us. It’s not only about what we achieve ourselves, but it’s also, how we might make a significant difference in the life of another person, or lots of people for that matter. English theologian, Julies Hare wrote:

“Be what you are.
This is the first step towards becoming
better than you are.”

There are many people who don’t see themselves as ‘talented or gifted’ and it’s to these people, I say ‘go for it’. Each of us is unique and each person has different skills, interests and talents. Find your passion and pursue it. You will never know what you’re capable of, until you give it your very best shot. Perseverance, persistence, patience and practice will see you improve, and over time, achieve what it is that you want in life. Ordinary people really do achieve extraordinary things!
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUT1ADtIHQU)

“Our imagination is the only limit
to what we can hope
to have in the future.”
(Charles Kettering, American inventor, engineer, and businessman)

Karon Graham